"Tracing Baptist theological Foot Prints"

As we look beyond 400 years of Baptist life in England, I want to trace five theological footprints which marked early Baptist communities which might still be important as we ‘look beyond the horizon’ and ask what our vision might be.

Reading the Bible

There is a challenge to help churches to engage in reading the Bible. We may have colluded too much with a pulpit-orientated form of church life on the one hand, and an individualistic piety on the other. There are possibilities for imaginative ways of reading the Bible together. In looking at the role of the Bible for Baptists, I suggest that what has been distinctive for Baptists has not been a doctrine of biblical authority but rather a particular way of using the Bible. It is remarkable that in his ‘Short Confession of Faith’ of 1609 John Smyth does not include a clause about scripture. This might have been due to the fact that the document was written in a hurry. Even so, the omission suggests that a doctrinal formulation on the Bible was not at the forefront of Smyth’s mind. What did concern him deeply was how the Bible functioned in practice.

Living the Life

There is an emphasis in Baptist thought, as in Anabaptism, on the new way of life that is to be lived, but what is striking is the strongly Christ-centred framework in which this set. On the question of ‘living the life’, one of my own interests is in how biography can be used to shape our Christian stories today. There is much to explore here.

Reflecting beyond 400 years of Baptist history and ministry, I wonder what the Baptist family can do to make a definite contribution to the advancement of God’s kingdom in this generation and beyond. Here are a few of my thoughts.

Firstly we need to recover our confidence in the gospel of Jesus Christ and in proclamation evangelism. Secondly we need to develop a dynamic gospel lifestyle that authenticates our message. Baptist forerunners were people who defended the freedom to preach the gospel with their lives, because they were confident that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only means of securing salvation for humankind. Some demonstrated their confidence for the gospel in such a captivating manner that they defied the tyrant decrees of kings and queens and passionately sought freedom to proclaim the gospel and live the gospel. My recent observation is that many Baptist Christians and churches have lost confidence in the power of the proclaimed gospel as a divine medium of rescuing depraved humankind from the ravages of sin. We have to recapture that priced confidence in the integrity of God’s character and faithfulness to His word. Paul wrote in Romans 1.16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ because it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes... “. Also we need to be confident in God’s promise to back up the claims and demands of the gospel as we boldly proclaim it. Mark 16.20 states that, “they went out and preached everywhere while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs”. Recently I have known first hand the convicting power of the Holy Spirit melting the hardened hearts of sinners as I boldly proclaimed the way of salvation. Many people have responded to the grace of God and committed their lives to Jesus Christ with a dramatic turnaround. I believe God will do much more when His people confidently declare that Jesus is the only way to come to the Father.